Language service provider Stratus Video, announced their acquisition of InDemand Interpreting, a portfolio company of Health Enterprise Partners (HEP), with the aim of improving health equity for deaf, limited English proficient and hard of hearing patients.

WHY IT MATTERS

InDemand specializes in the video-remote-interpreting (VRI) market and provides access to medically qualified or certified interpreters through video, audio and geolocation technology.

The companies hope that combining interpreters and technology will enhance their capabilities to serve the expanding language access needs of healthcare providers and break down disparities

Stratus, which is a portfolio company of Kinderhook, offers a suite including audio, video and geolocation mobile applications along with interoperability to telehealth solutions, providing language access when and where they are needed.

Stratus video interpreting combines face-to-face interpretation with the on-demand nature of over-the-phone interpretation, giving users access to medically qualified interpreters.

InDemand's mission is to help patients communicate in all medical settings regardless of primary language spoken, cultural background, or hearing ability-- more than 25 million limited English proficient patients currently live in the United States.

MARKETPLACE

Fully understanding what a limited English proficiency patient has to say is critical to that patient’s care and outcomes, and hospitals and health systems have an array of interpreting services to choose from that offer real-time video service.

These vendors include CyraCom, InDemand Interpreting, LAN, LanguageLine, Martti, TransPerfect and WorldWide Interpreters.

ON THE RECORD

“Language and health literacy are key social determinants of health, and the costs of providing non-culturally competent care are well-documented,” Ezra Mehlman, managing partner of HEP, said in a statement.

Stratus President David Fetterolf added that the combined companies “will lead to new innovations in healthcare interpreting.”

Nathan Eddy is a healthcare and technology freelancer based in Berlin.

Email the writer: nathaneddy@gmail.com

Twitter: @dropdeaded209 

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